Moving Scenery (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In Kumu Street, atop the newly constructed royal palace.

Gilgamesh looked out at the subjects gathered before the palace and announced in a booming voice, "I, in the name of Gilgamesh, hereby declare the founding of a nation this day! Its name shall be the Kingdom of Uruk!"

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's declaration of statehood, the subjects outside the palace erupted into a frenzy.

Amidst the uproar, they shouted at the top of their lungs.

"The King!"

"Uruk!"

For Uruk, this day was destined to be a sleepless night.

Across the territories of Inuzuri and Tobiume, the sounds of cheering, leaping, and shouting rose one after another.

The people began to sing and dance, celebrating the successful founding of Uruk in their own ways and offering praise to the greatness of Gilgamesh.

In this moment, every face was wreathed in smiles.

Yet, there were some who, while laughing, suddenly burst into tears.

Before Gilgamesh appeared, they had been like walking corpses, living lives worse than death in a place woven with poverty, backwardness, chaos, and mortality.

They were like fallen leaves drifting in the wind, without direction, without hope, without support, and certainly without a home to return to.

Their hearts had grown numb, encased in the frozen ice of a desperate reality.

Under such circumstances, Gilgamesh appeared; he was like the sun in the sky, shattering the desperate reality and melting the ice that covered their hearts.

Their hearts began to beat once more, growing warm and vibrant again.

Hope, vitality, and smiles—things they never dared to imagine—gradually appeared in their lives.

Now, the establishment of the Kingdom of Uruk gave them a sense of belonging, a home where they could finally put down roots.

This feeling of a fallen leaf returning to its roots tugged fiercely at their heartstrings.

They knew that from this day forward, they were no longer homeless wandering souls.

Of course, they knew that all of this was brought to them by Gilgamesh.

Thus, they thanked, respected, worshipped, and loved Gilgamesh from the bottom of their hearts; they loved their King.

Renji Abarai and Rukia completely let go that night, singing, dancing, and laughing heartily along with the people.

Even the temporary construction workers who had come from the Omaeda Clan could not help but be infected by the atmosphere, joining the ranks of the singing and dancing crowd.

They had witnessed how Inuzuri and Tobiume had developed step by step from nothing to their current state.

They had also seen the changes in the people of Inuzuri and Tobiume with their own eyes.

This made their respect and worship for Gilgamesh extend far beyond his architectural talents.

It could be said that Gilgamesh's charisma had completely conquered them, making them think more than once about wanting to stay.

However, they each had their own ties back home—be it family, lovers, or friends.

Therefore, they could only forcibly suppress the urge to stay.

But for now, they cast everything to the back of their minds, simply releasing the joy within their hearts.

Atop the palace, Gilgamesh looked down at his singing and dancing subjects, his mood exceptionally pleasant.

To the side, Yoruichi Shihouin in her black cat form lay silently on the balcony railing, watching the lively scene below. Her face revealed a sense of deep emotion, and she felt a sense of reflected glory.

Yoruichi Shihouin had already pledged her loyalty, so the more dazzling Gilgamesh was, the happier she felt.

Gilgamesh sat down at a stone table nearby and extended an invitation to Yoruichi Shihouin, "Today is a day worth celebrating. Come, Mister Black Cat, and join me for a drink."

Yoruichi Shihouin walked over to the seat opposite Gilgamesh, tilted her cat face, and replied, "I can, but there doesn't seem to be a tavern. I recall that Inuzuri doesn't have any place that sells alcohol."

Gilgamesh smiled slightly, and a golden ripple appeared beside him.

Yoruichi Shihouin was already familiar with Gilgamesh's method of summoning golden ripples, assuming it to be the ability of his Zanpakuto.

Yet, Yoruichi Shihouin did not understand why Gilgamesh would summon a golden ripple; what did that have to do with drinking?

Amidst Yoruichi Shihouin's puzzled expression, a wooden barrel exuding an ancient aura emerged from the golden ripple and landed slowly on the ground.

Following the barrel, two exquisite golden goblets emerged from the ripple and landed atop the wood.

Yoruichi Shihouin was stunned.

Although the barrel had not yet been opened, she could already faintly smell a trace of mellow wine.

Yoruichi Shihouin knew that the barrel before her contained fine wine, and a rare, precious vintage at that.

That mellow aroma, though only a faint trace, was enough to make her—someone who had tasted countless fine wines—salivate and swallow hard.

Though she did not know why a wooden barrel would appear from a golden ripple, it no longer mattered.

As Gilgamesh opened the dust-covered barrel, a rich, mellow fragrance of wine rushed toward them.

Just by smelling it, Yoruichi Shihouin felt as if she were already somewhat intoxicated; it was hard to imagine just how delicious this wine would be.

Looking at the wine cup Gilgamesh held out before her, Yoruichi Shihouin instinctively reached out a cat paw, wanting to lift the cup and drain it in one gulp.

But she quickly realized that a cat paw could never hold a wine cup, and with her craving for alcohol piqued, Yoruichi could no longer be bothered with such things and directly canceled her transformation.

As a puff of smoke rose, Gilgamesh saw a graceful, tall figure flickering within it.

"Gulp!"

"Refreshing, truly excellent wine!"

As a boisterous female voice rang out, the rising smoke dissipated.

Appearing before Gilgamesh's eyes was a stunning beauty with tanned skin, a tall, curvaceous figure, and a ponytail, completely devoid of any clothing.

This beauty was none other than Yoruichi Shihouin.

At this moment, Yoruichi held the wine cup in one hand and rested the other on her hip, standing with her feet apart, a look of pure delight at having tasted fine wine on her face.

Because of her stance, Gilgamesh could see everything quite clearly.

However, Gilgamesh's expression did not change in the slightest; his deep, wine-red eyes merely held a look of appreciation, as if he were admiring a piece of exquisite art.

If it weren't for the fact that this body was still too young, Gilgamesh wouldn't have minded taking the opportunity for something pleasant to happen.

On the terrace of the palace, there was no one else besides Gilgamesh and Yoruichi.

Those outside the palace were also unable to see the scene unfolding on the terrace.

Watching Yoruichi, who was already looking to have another drink, Gilgamesh took a sip of his own wine and said, "I think that rather than drinking, you should put on some clothes first."

As he spoke, Gilgamesh's wine-red eyes, still filled with appreciation, looked at Yoruichi once more and continued, "Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine too. I wouldn't mind continuing to admire this moving scenery."

Yoruichi froze for a moment, then followed Gilgamesh's gaze and looked down.

Upon seeing this, Yoruichi's face instantly flushed red, her heart fell into complete disarray, and she used Shunpo to flee the scene immediately.

The sound of Gilgamesh's amused laughter reached her ears, making Yoruichi's heart beat uncontrollably fast.

Yoruichi didn't know what was wrong with her; she had never cared about such things before, so why did she feel so flustered and chaotic now?

After Yoruichi had departed, Gilgamesh slowly stood up, carried his wine cup to the terrace railing, and stood there.

Looking at the jubilant scene outside the palace, Gilgamesh raised his cup for a sip and whispered, "Uruk is now initially stable; it is about time to head to the Shin'o Academy."